Horace's Duskywing
Erynnis horatius (Scudder & Burgess, 1870)
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Pyrginae
Identification: Fringes are brown. Upperside of male forewing is dark brown with little contrast and no white overscaling. Upperside of female forewing is light brown with a contrasting pattern and large transparent spots. Underside of hindwing is usually without 2 spots below the apex. Male has a costal fold containing yellow scent scales; female has a patch of scent scales on the 7th abdominal segment.
Wing Span: 1 7/16 - 1 15/16 inches (3.6 - 4.9 cm).
Life History: To seek females, males perch at the ends of twigs on hilltops or slopes about 1 foot above the ground. Mating has been observed around midday; females deposit eggs singly on new growth of the host. Caterpillars feed on young leaves and rest in leaf nests. Caterpillars of the last brood hibernate.
Flight: Two broods in the north from April-September, three broods in the Deep South and Texas from January-November.
Caterpillar Hosts: Both red and white oaks including willow oak (Quercus phellos), northern red oak (Q. velutina), scrub oak (Q. ilicifolia), water oak (Q. nigra), post oak (Q. stellata), and live oak (Q. virginiana).
Adult Food: Horace\'s Duskywing visits flower up to about 4.5 feet tall including dogbane, buttonbush, sneezeweed, goldenrod, peppermint, boneset, and winter cress.
Habitat: Open woodlands and edges, clearings, fencerows, wooded swamps, power-line right-of-ways, open fields, roadsides.
Range: Massachusetts west to eastern South Dakota; south through most of the eastern United States to Florida, the Gulf Coast, and South Texas; south in the west through southeastern Utah, Colorado, northeastern Arizona, and New Mexico.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 313 - 336 of 2950 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 15, 2010
Submitted by: botanybill
Region: Howard County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 08, 2021
Observation date: Jul 21, 2017
Submitted by: botanybill
Region: Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 08, 2021
Observation date: Jul 08, 2017
Submitted by: botanybill
Region: Howard County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 06, 2021
Observation date: Sep 02, 2018
Submitted by: mercretas
Region: Montgomery County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 05, 2021
Observation date: Jul 18, 2018
Submitted by: byn602
Region: Montgomery County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 05, 2021
Observation date: Jul 01, 2019
Submitted by: Kurt R. Schwarz
Region: Howard County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 04, 2021
Observation date: Jul 01, 2019
Submitted by: Kurt R. Schwarz
Region: Howard County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 04, 2021
Observation date: Apr 14, 2021
Submitted by: Jay Brasher
Region: Lincoln County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Nov 03, 2021
Observation date: Jul 06, 2019
Submitted by: Dave Webb
Region: Kent County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 03, 2021
Observation date: Sep 13, 2018
Submitted by: ChrissyL
Region: Hamblen County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: S. J. Stedman
Verified date: Nov 02, 2021
Observation date: Jun 20, 2019
Submitted by: WINGSaloftinKS
Region: Douglas County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: azukoff
Verified date: Nov 01, 2021
Observation date: Aug 04, 2018
Submitted by: Mark Salvato
Region: Hillsborough County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 29, 2021
Observation date: Jul 23, 2021
Submitted by: catbirdcat
Region: Carroll County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 24, 2021
Observation date: Apr 08, 2019
Submitted by: datilson
Region: Carteret County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Oct 17, 2021
Observation date: Aug 18, 2021
Submitted by: wallap74
Region: Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 09, 2021
Observation date: Oct 02, 2021
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Hyde County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Oct 04, 2021
Observation date: Oct 01, 2021
Submitted by: RLS
Region: Craighead County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 02, 2021
Observation date: Aug 03, 2019
Submitted by: Mark Salvato
Region: Lee County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 29, 2021
Observation date: Sep 15, 2021
Submitted by: Jeff Trahan
Region: Caddo Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 24, 2021
Observation date: Sep 19, 2021
Submitted by: Eddie Wyatt
Region: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 20, 2021
Observation date: Aug 12, 2017
Submitted by: systanfield
Region: Newberry County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Sep 19, 2021
Observation date: Sep 07, 2021
Submitted by: mellielong
Region: Hillsborough County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 09, 2021
Observation date: Sep 08, 2021
Submitted by: Bill Uttenweiler
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 09, 2021
Observation date: Jul 23, 2021
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 22, 2021
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